When I was fifteen (give or take a year; I’m terrible at remembering dates and ages) my brother, two of my sisters, and I visited New York City with our grandparents. We took a bus up from DC, stayed for a week, and took a bus back. So far, it’s been my only visit, but I’ve always wanted to go back.
We hit most of the typical tourist destinations, like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Met. We also had lunch in Hell’s Kitchen--I didn’t know about Daredevil then; otherwise I’d probably have keeled over from a fangirling-induced heart attack--and ate hot dogs at Papaya King. I bought my copy of That Was Then, This Is Now from the Strand Bookstore. In our hotel room, my sister and I kept the drapes open all night so we could see the city lights, and as cheesy as it sounds, that’s my favorite memory.
There’s something about big cities that I’ve always loved, and even though I’ve never quite pinned it down I think it has to do with the sense of possibility. You can move somewhere else, somewhere enormous where nobody knows you, and build a new life from scratch. Sure, the reality of that would be nowhere near as romantic as the idea of it, but it’s something I still daydream about. Part of me feels guilty, since “I’m moving to New York to pursue my dreams!” is the most stereotypical pipe dream ever. Usually I can counteract it with a couple replays of “The Boxer”. But another part of me still thinks that one day I might.
They’re so many places I want to visit or revisit. I’m not one of those people dead set on leaving their small town for the big city, but I know that I don’t want to stay in one place my entire life. I do want to settle down, but not until I know exactly where to settle down. And who knows where that will be?
What are your dream destinations?
Picture credit: X
